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Expert: Romania not to issue passports "in package with tanks" to Ukrainians

Ukraine should not be suspicious of the Romanian citizenship "restoration" by some Ukrainians.

Romanian policy towards its foreign citizens, including Romanians in Ukraine, does not involve aggression.

Getting of Romanian passports by Ukrainians does not mean that Romania will be able to do the same Russia did in the Crimea, that is send its tanks to Ukraine. The reasons are the Romanian foreign policy, which does not involve aggression against its neighbors, and its domestic laws, which differ from Ukrainian.

This is what writes Christian Ginya, the Director of the Romanian Center for European Policies (CRPE, Bucharest) in his article "Romania: "A true friend is a friend in a dialogue" at the ZN.UA.

According to him, Romania "understands the Ukrainian government's irritation on this issue," based on Kyiv's experience with the Russian passports, which were followed by Russian tanks.

There should be no direct parallels on this issue though: "Not every passport obtained overseas, goes "in package with a tank".

"Romania has not been having such intentions. Romanian policy towards its foreign citizens, including Romanians in Ukraine, does not involve aggression." – explains the Director of the Romanian Centre for European Policies.

He explains, that "Romania has a liberal policy in the sphere of citizenship, which is based on individual's right and is absolutely compatible with the European law." That is, the policy which includes the procedure involving an individual right, not the ethnic origin.

"Romania offers citizenship to people, not because they are Romanians. It restores it to individuals, who have been forcibly deprived of that right: Romanian citizenship has been lost as a result of the USSR's policies. These people have never abandoned Romanian citizenship. They or their relatives are Romanian citizens, who now receive the documents confirming this fact " – writes Ginya. By the way, he explains, Romanian law says about returning the citizenship, rather than granting it to those who have never had it, which involves a completely different procedure.

"That is, anyone who had Romanian citizenship until 1945, may resume it regardless of her ethnic origin," writes Ginya. By the way, many Russians and Ukrainians from the Republic of Moldova resumed their Romanian citizenship because their parents lived in interwar Romania. Conversely, the Romanians living in Serbia, but who never lived in the areas that were part of Romania, are not eligible for the citizenship. This fact embarrasses them."

"Even if Romania wanted to act differently with regard to Moldova and Ukraine – it would be impossible, and the Constitutional Court would reject the corresponding change in the law, we cannot discriminate our people their individual right on the basis of a person's residence.

That is the reason we have a very acute problem: Ukraine is worried of granting Romanian citizenship, while Romania may not change the current procedure " – writes the Romanian expert.

"The only thing Romania wants, is the respect for the Romanian minority's rights in Ukraine, and this can only be achieved by having serious relations with Kiev, because it is one thing to discuss critical issues with one another, and quite different to it with an irritated neighbor."

"I think that now, a lot of Ukrainians understand that Romania has become a subject that was easy to manipulate. Friends of Russia in Ukraine tried to make us enemies, convince Ukrainians that Romania has territorial claims to Ukraine, and inundates Ukraine with its their passports. "– analyzes Mr.Ginya.

"We have to overcome these issues, which tend to fill the bilateral negotiations' agenda. The instrument is a better communication." – concludes the expert.